The Rooster

I used to carry about 5 rods with me bank fishing. I never used any type of carrier, I simply just grabbed all the rods around the blanks above the foregrips and hauled them to the next spot. Of course I did take just a minute to arrange them so that the reels didn't hang up all over each other, all the rods were at the center of the mass and the reels were sticking out around the outside edges of it. Made them easy to carry and I never had a problem. I still do this when I go fishing on the bank. Also where I grab them at is where most rods have the hook keepers located. I get around this by not using the hookkeeper. I hook to the last lineguide frame (not the insert). Contrary to popular belief, this does NOT hurt the rod in the least (think about it, the hookkeeper and lineguides are attached to the blank using the same methods :). Only way I could see the hook loosening the lineguide any would be if the drag was locked down tight and you had the rod drawn into a bend while hooked this way. None of this ever happens with my rods.

I read where titanium can contribute to an increased start up speed on a baitcaster spool. This was in a comparison to the Shimano Citica and Curado. It said the Curado could cast farther with weightless plastics due to the lighter spool and the titanium lineguide. I thought titanium was only necessary if you use braided line. All my reels have it now but I was just looking at a Citica and saw that it does not. If I got a Citica and only used mono or fluorocarbon do you think I'd see any less distance due to the lineguide being only ceramic??

I love the 683C, and use for T-rigs, Spinnerbaits, and jigs. The 704C is equally as effective for those techs, but is alot stouter. It still has an XF tip, and isn't a boomstick. It is mainly my jig rod now. Aaaaaaaaaaaaahh..........cooooolll. 8-)

So if the Mag-Heavy is not as stout as what it states then were does that leave other rods in the series such as just a Medium Heavy rod?? I was gonna get the 683C personally.

If I sell them then I will post them in the flea market. They are both in like new condition. I'm a fanatic when it comes to taking care of things. Can't stand scratches. Both of these rods have been fishing for one VERY LIGHT season and look as if they were purchased yesterday. Cork is not even dirty. However I am still debating whether or not I'd want to just keep them for other purposes. One is a MH and would make a good spinnerbait rod. But since I am such a self described fanatic then that means I'm also one who wants all the rods to match too so I'd probably get another Powell just for this purpose as well, necessary or not.

That's actually really comparible to the Compre I use now. I just measured them and they are 9" of cork. 10" hits right in the middle of the exposed blank cutout on the ECS reel seat. That would be fine with me. I would like to handle them first though to see if I like the overall "feel" in hand. Some rods have a way of feeling more refined than others. The St. Croix Triumph that was given to me feels inferior to the Compre's I use. Even to a Clarus that is more in matching with it's pricepoint, the Triumph comes up short in my opinion. Both rods look similarly built, contain good components, but even when I fish them side by side the St. Croix just feels nowhere near as nice. I don't want that Powell to be like that after I get it but from what I read here in this thread it doesn't seem like it will.

Yeah I think it's gonna be the Powell. I will definitely pick one up but it will be later this year for sure. It will have to be a gift for an occasion though. Such as my anniversary which is late October. Too bad, but I think that's the one for me. Just looks too perfect, has everything I want in a rod. Hope it fishes as nice as it seems looking at it on the screen. I might take a drive to feel one directly though. Looked up the closest dealers to me on Mapquest and there is one 1 1/2 hours away. Not too far past one of the lakes I fish. I'll have to call first to see if they have any.

I'm really hoping that is the case cause I do love the Compre rods I have here. If the Powell is really that much better over the Compre then for just that little bit more money it sounds like I am in for a treat.

Yeah I knew you were kidding. I was just explaining my situation was all. Seems I read somewhere that the makers of the Powell rods had input from someone involved with Dobyns rods too. Is that right?? Just now on ***.com I noticed that a Dobyns Savvy rod is nearly the same thing as the Powell. Do these directly compare??

Been wondering about these reel. Good info. My question is, how long are the paddles on the crank?? The pictures make them look overly long compared to other reels.

I did consider them but they have the foregrip and I want it without that this time. Otherwise I'd just get another Compre.

UBA, When refering to action, you talking about overall stiffness or what?? Just want to make sure I understand you. I have no problems with the way my Compre feels but also since I do want another rod just for jigs/worms then I figured get one with no foregrip so my fingers can lay directly on the blank instead of cork for maximum sensitivity. Don't want to go any lighter in terms of stiffness of the rod though. A rod that feels like a medium would probably feel too weak to me. But I don't know. There's also a just plain heavy powered Powell too. Wonder if that would be the way to go instead?? pgersumky, I was looking over several rods to do what I want. Don't have the bux now to get any of them which is probably a good thing cause it keeps me from making a quick decision and then regretting it later. I was thinking about that Okuma EVx at first but noticed it has an ACS reel seat. I think I'd rather have the ECS instead so I started looking again. I'll get one sometime. Just want to try to make sure it's the "right" one. I do think I've pretty well settled on it going to be a Powell, all I have to do is nail down the power rating of which one to get, and maybe the length. Never had a 7' rod and I'm thinking of going that way.

Read a review on tackletour about the Powel Max 683C which is a medium heavy rod with extra fast tip, 6'8" long. It scored the highest scores I've ever seen them give to any one single product on that site. Think they gave it a 9.25 overall. They showed the thing casting a Castaic swimbait weighing over 2.5 ounces even though the rod is only rated for 1/4 to 3/4. Said it did it with ease and they were impressed. I currently use Shimano Compre rods. I have a 6'6" medium heavy with a fast tip (also available in extra fast too though) that I use for jigs and worms. I'd like to have a jig/worm rod that has no foregrip, better than average sensitivity, light weight and balanced. This Powell seems to be EVERYTHING I would want in a rod just from reading about it. What I'd like to know is how does it compare to the Compre overall?? So far I see that it has better guides, they are alconite while the Compre has hardloy. Nothing was said about what type of graphite it has though. Compre is IM-8. Cost is not too bad either. I'm paying $100 for the Compre but the Powell is $140. Not much more and since I only need one rod, this would be fine. Although I'm afraid after using it, if it REALLY does do all the things tackletour described, that I'm gonna want to sell the Shimano Compres and get more Powells. Is there anyone here who has used both of these rods and can provide a comparison as to which one they liked better??

Chances are, even if you did use another brand, it might still be a Pinnacle underneath the "other" brand name. ;D

Yeah that helps a lot. So it's no wider, it's just deeper spool only. That's cool. Does it make it feel any bulkier in your hand, such as having a higher profile on the rod?? For example, I noticed the Bass Pro Rick Clunn model has 135 yds of 12 line while my Extremes hold 120 yds. Just 15 yards difference but when I ordered a RC reel I immediately noticed it was bulkier in hand, set up higher on the rod overall. I ended up sending it back (but not for this reason, had issues with overall build design I didn't like). I'm so used to the lower profile of the Extremes I'm not sure I can adjust to a reel that has a higher profile or feels bulkier in hand.

I was looking at the Cabela's Prodigy rods in their catalog. The tips shown in the picture look incredibly thin like they might break easily under just normal usage. I do not live close to a Cabela's store so I can't just go check them out. Just wondered if anyone here owns one of them and has this same thought about them or has seen or heard of any of them breaking off easily.

So when you finish your cast do you just continue to hold the rod with your hand behind the reel?? I switch hands partly because I cast right handed, and partly because I like to grip the rod around the reel instead of behind it and this allows me to make my cast and then place the rod in my other hand the way I want it.

Well I went to ebay and looked up one for sale there and it shows a picture of it that provided a different angle than the pictures on Pinnacle's website. It looks like it might be comparable to a widespool version of other reels such as the Extreme ETX20HC models from Bass Pro. That particular reel holds 160 yds of 12 lb line. Only 5 yards difference.

I was on the Pinnacle website looking at these two reels. I noticed that the Alyssa has 165 yd capacity while the Vision has 120, both using 12 lb. line. Any reason for the higher line capacity on one over the other?? Was it intended to be used in a specific application that may require more line capacity, or maybe more space for the same amount of heavier line instead of a lot more of the smaller line?? Also, more important to me is......does this increase the overall size of the Alyssa reel over the Vision?? I'm used to the size of my BPS Extreme reels now. I don't want a reel that is a lot bulkier than that when I palm it.

I'm dangerous with my left hand too. If you stand on that side of me when I go to cast a baitcaster, I might whack you with the rod!! ;D :)

I have not went fishing left handed yet as Steve1357 asked. I may be learning to cast like that soon though, for medical reasons. My right forearm occasionally has a pain in it like tennis elbow. Been over a year and has never fully healed. As it is, I have to wear a band around it now for doing anything strenuous. What I do for a living involves swinging a hammer and pounding nails using my right arm. Based on this I don't see it getting much better and I may have to get better using a hammer left handed as well (I can do this now but not as well). Add to that casting a 3/4 oz. weighted jig on the weekends and I am tearing it up more than I have to so I think I'm gonna try to learn to cast left handed and just save my right arm for cranking the handle. This means I'll be cranking exclusively with my right hand now though so no need for left handed reels at all. I already cast and hold a spinning rod with my left and just crank right handed only. I fight fish and retrieve holding the rod in my left for a baitcast rod too, and can "somewhat" cast with it as well, and I also pitch left handed (not right handed at all for that). Only thing I do right handed is casting using the baitcast rod to launch a lure. After the bait is in the water the rod goes to the left. Once I learn to throw left for that I will never need to hold a rod in my right hand again. This will solve a lot of problems for me with fishing. I will still be able to cast right handed if I need to, and once in a while won't hurt me too bad. Being able to cast completely left though will help in a lot of situations and also save my right arm.

With the introduction of the new line, what is going to happen to the current lineup?? Such models as the Alyssa XLT, the Vision, and others?? I'm just now finding out about them and I am actually interested in getting some of these models. But I can't lay down all the money at once. Hmmm.......maybe I should just hold out?? Maybe that other new series is going to be even better.

Yep, he was. And I'd have to second that Alyssa XLT suggestion. That looks like one solid reel for $100 roughly. Come to think of it, I don't know what the pricing is on the other models but Pinnacle has some really nice looking reels out there now. Their Vision series is looking good to me as well.

I think most of the upper lines of BPS spinning reels as well as the new Pflueger Arbor are using oversized spools now, plus all of the US Reels use it too. I thought it was a fairly new thing in spinning gear instead of being dead, but I really hope it's just a passing fad. Personally I think they are ugly. Might be more of what my wife says about me, that I "can't stand change" but I probably won't use one until it's the only thing available anymore. For my next spinning reel I'm either going Abu Garcia Soron STX, or Daiwa of some type, or maybe........just maybe.........a Quantum or Pinnacle reel (still looking around at all of my options). But whatever it is, it won't have that mag spool design on it.

It looks like a BPS reel with a Rapala logo on it. Look at the Volt series while you're there, then go to Pinnacle's website and check out a few of theirs. They are identical. I believe these are Pinnacle reels rebadged. Probably good reels. I'm impressed by what I see on Pinnacle's website.